Calculated Fate
by BubbaKrank
Summary: Elements leads his team into Jump City, where he befriends the Teen Titans. However, an enemy who predicts their every move with statistics and data is not to be underestimated. A bit of romance thrown in with adventure. Takes place after Tokyo.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Enter Elements

"January 28th, 6:36 PM, a town I believe is known as Jump City. The town seems peaceful beyond belief. Even during the middle of winter, the sun makes an effort to creep its head into the sky, painting the clouds a remarkable shade of orange and crimson. More elaborate report in the near future. "

A small hologram of another man hovered over the stranger's wrist. "Stewart, you've never been one for elaborate descriptions", said the hologram, sighing and placing his left palm on his forehead.

"I'll update the rest of the team as I get familiarized with the town. Everyone else has their own mission. So do you. At the moment, the only facts I know is that this place has a killer horizon, one worthy to ask a girl out."

"Heh, keep that in mind if you find any attractive ones, not that you aren't already taken."

The stranger smirked. "Elements out." He turned off the hologram.

The mysterious stranger removed his mouth away from his recording communicator, placed his hands the pockets of his cargo shorts, and walked slowly to the nearest dock in the harbor. It was surprising for him to be wearing only a casual T-shirt and shorts during this time of year, but if weather permitted it, then why not? He wanted to get as close as possible to the warm rays of the sun before it inevitably sank under the horizon. Creeping towards the edge of the wooden boards, he hopped down and let his feet dangle amongst the barnacles and seaweed. For some reason, the briny scent of ocean water calmed his senses. He believe most people would relax sniffing something smooth such as vanilla or a variety of fruit, but the most obnoxious aromas seemed to calm his mind.

"Ha, must have gotten that trait from Karen", he said with a wistful smile in his tone. He remembered when they drove together in his parent's beat down 1986 Toyota Camry, with its dirty windows chipped along the dashboard and the passenger windows. That piece of junk broke down more times than they could ever count on their fingers and toes, and yet, every mechanical mishap was just an opportunity to spend more time with each other. Elements recalled that the first time the car decided to go on the fritz, Karen insisted that she pushed the rear while he held down the pedals. Before he has time to give his baffled response, she smirked and simply stated, "I like the smell of gasoline. Call me a tomboy if you dare, but it calms me." Karen was never afraid to get her hands dirty, and while Elements didn't admit it at the time, a girl who knew how to work around cars was damn attractive. Plus, he knew she could beat the living daylights out of him whenever she wanted.

That was then, this is now.

Elements looked down at his waist, eyes now peering at his utility belt carrying two metallic bars, each one adjacent to his side pockets. He ran his fingers over the bumps and scratches of his weapons, recalling all the battles and skirmishes over the past four years. _"Has it really been that long? Four years ago, the only things I worried about were reaching nationals at tennis, pleasing the folks, and remembering my anniversary with Karen."_ His thought wasn't that of regret; these rods have changed his life immensely for the better. Still, a small part of Elements longed for a normal life. However, he gave up his thoughts of living a like a regular human being a long time ago. During the beginning of his adventures, Elements would ask why he was chosen as a Duelist; he wasn't the most adept physical specimen, and his bravery at the time was something to be questions. Hell, he couldn't even play Amensia without having a panic attack a five year old would throw, and he avoided horror movies like they were the spawn of Satan. Yet, he was thrown out into the world of being a hero, without a clue of how to save the world, and under the present circumstances, he wasn't doing a terrible job. Sure, a building shattered here, an interstate bridge blown up there, but nothing that a few million dollars of tax revenue couldn't repair. As long as the villains ended up behind bars, Elements was satisfied.

He took out one of the rods and began twirling it naturally in the palm of his hand. It was like they were an extension of his arms; after years and years of practice, he never had to think about controlling his weapons. He trained himself to make a slash of his bars as simple as bending a finger. Elements closed his eyes and suddenly gripped the handle of his rod with his right hand._"So blank, so pure….so deadly."_

As he took one last glimpse at the setting sun, Elements stood up, turned himself back onto the rest of Jump City, and began to ponder his most difficult dilemma of the day: pizza or burger? Sometimes certain parts of his life threw arduous decisions at him, and his stomach was no exception. It was craving something greasy, a hearty meal that could clog up his arteries, just as a celebratory welcome to the new city. Elements looked left at the local pizza joint, right as the little hut for burgers and whispered quietly to himself, "As long as it has bacon, it can't be bad." He then slowly walked towards the hut stand to chow down on Deluxe Meat Lovers Patty Meat, with extra bacon on the side of course.

Just as he was about to take his first bite, an explosion suddenly appeared approximately three blocks from his meal table. Shifting his eyes way from his burger that was dripping ketchup and bacon grease over his now slippery hands, he caught out of the corner of his periphery a man in a black and yellow jump suit. Running over to the scene of the explosion sight, he realized this stranger had blasted a hole in the local bank, and was now trying to escape with sacks of money. Eyeing his meal momentarily, Elements spoke in a frustrated manner. "It's one thing to cause havoc in a city. It's an entirely different issue to create trouble during dinner time." Elements slowly strolled to the villain, his hands now on the handle of his rods, ready to strike.

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><p>Dr. Light smirked at his quick handy work, though he was in a calculated rush to get out with his prized money. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Teen Titans would arrive to try and foil his plans.<p>

"_This time, no gloating, no innocent civilian destruction, no puns relating to light…just take the money and run!"_

The rest of the streets had cleared out once the explosion hit. Mostly all of Jump City knew to avoid the villains and let the heroes take care of business. Sometimes, they wondered why the local authorities were still in business. Their only duty these days seemed to be handcuffing the bad guys after they faced appropriate cans of butt-whooping. Just as Dr. Light was about to exit the area, he noticed that a young man about the age of twenty walking directly towards him nonchalant, hands in his pockets. He looked like a lost soul due to the deserted streets and uprooted concrete from the blast surrounding him. Dr. Light turned to face him, an incredulous smirk drawn on his face.

"And you think you can stop me? Or are you just stalling for time while Boy Blunder and traveling troupe of circus freaks drop in?" Dr. Light immediately turned around and began to run. "Well, fat chance! I'm getting out of here bef-"

"A light user, huh?", said the boy.

"…what?" Dr. Light was momentarily stunned by how calm the boy acted in front of him. Didn't he know that his life could have ended if he really wanted to fight?

The boy continued, "Yes, using rays of light and converting them into high intensity beams." He placed his hand onto his belt and pulled out one of his metallic rods. "Yes, I think one would be appropriate for you. No need to mix traits for the likes of _just_ you." Dr. Light eyes shimmered with exponentially increasing fear. Who was that boy, why did he just taunt him like he was a nobody, and why was he holding that metallic rod….like it was the handle of a sword?

"**Shadow Surge"**, the boy stated in a monotone voice.

Immediately, a pillar of darkness shot out from the tip of the metallic rod, a dense black beam of energy. Dr. Light could feel the resonance pulsating out of that weapon, yet the boy didn't seem fazed by it. He obviously has used this blade multiple times before. The boy then did something that utterly shocked the villain. Instead of coming to strike him down, he pulled another device from his pockets: a pure white iPod shuffle. The boy began scrolling on the device's wheel, looking for a song. He stopped on one of his favorite tunes: Ricochet Love-Waterflame.

"Heh, battle music. Sorry for the delay." He grinned a cheesy smile and without warning, he suddenly dashed straight towards the villain; his speed almost imitated that of light, as he was easily face to face with the doctor who was now lost for words. Unable to speak, unable to move, He stood paralyzed by the fact that he underestimated this young scoundrel…and he was going to pay his life for it.

The boy pulled back his right hand, ready to deliver an initial knockout blow to Dr. Light, until he noticed that the man had fallen down on his knees with his hands up in the air. His futile attempts to block the strike brought a sad smile onto the boy, and instead, he finished him off by smashing the end of his sword onto his neck, knocking the mad doctor unconscious onto the middle of the street.

"Sad, the song didn't even get to the best part. I hate it when villains don't even last before the bass drops…" He withdrew the shadow emanating from his sword, and placed his rod back onto his belt. Frustrated, he sat down next to the comatose Dr. Light, pulled out his wrapped burger in his coat pocket and continued eating. "Bacon makes it better. Always." Elements finished his last bites of his dinner, hoping that the local authorities would soon arrive lock this criminal away. He was getting tired of sitting on the median, looking like a fool.

Little did Elements know that five Titans were on their way to take out Dr. Light, only to find a young man chomping his food hungrily while listening to his iPod.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Wager

**Quick shoutout to Surrell for giving a review, my first one! Much appreciated. I'm happy to know that someone decided to read my work and somewhat enjoy it, even if it was just one person. =) Maybe I'm just a sucker for the small things in life, but oh well. 'Tis who I am. This chapter is more plot development from the Titans' point of view. Lots of bantering. Hopefully, conversations will be on a more personal level at the story continues, but we'll see.**

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><p><em>*five minutes before the fight, at Titan's Tower*<em>

"Man, I told you already, I don't know where Mega Monkey IV is, BB! You were the last one who had that thing. It isn't my fault that you lost that thing in the dumpster you call your room. Now, if you'll excuse me, grass stain, there's a tasty roasted chicken that needs to be coo-MMPPPPPHH"…

Cyborg couldn't finish his sentence as Beast Boy latched onto his face from behind and pulled on his cheeks. His green eyes pierced icily at the robot.

"Duude, I remember leaving it in the console. No one else would come in and touch that disk except you!" Beast Boy suddenly peered into Cyborg's red eye. "You must have just been mad that I finally beat you this afternoon!"

Cyborg quickly moved his arm like a windshield wiper, throwing Beast Boy into the door of kitchen cupboard. "First of all, you're wasting my time here. I need to prep some home cookin' for us or we're all gonna starve. Don't make me get a stomach pump and stuff a chicken wing down your throat." Beast Boy could only half-hear him due to the stars circling around his head. "Second, unlike you, I'm not the type of person who would hold a grudge for video games. I mean, check the lifetime scoreboard. I'm still up on ya by like, at least five hundred wins!" A thought bubble of Cyborg appeared, with him surrounded by a mountain of trophies with Queen singing "We are the Champions" in the background. He gleefully smiled to himself.

Beast Boy grumbled and crawled back to the main lounge couch, saddened that he still didn't have his game and had nothing but a headache to show for it. "Okay, maybe you didn't do anything to it….but you better make something tasty for me! I'm not putting that filth in my mouth." He crossed his arms and gave a small scoff.

"No worries, B. Your dinner is already prepared on the counter." Cyborg quickly pointed to a large green bowl on the kitchentop, filled with tofu and spinach. "I don't know how you swallow that stuff. It absolutely destroys the taste buds." Beast Boy ignored Cy's remarks and began loudly munching on the vegetarian salad. He had nothing but soda and pizza the entire day, and was craving for something that wouldn't kill his heart.

The sliding door that led to the hallway opened, and Starfire and Raven entered. Saturday was their designated girls' day, where Starfire would drag Raven to the glorious mall of shopping, and Raven would balance their activities with meditation or reading. Today, they were looking at history books, which amused and somewhat confused Starfire to no end.

"Dear Raven, I still do not understand. Why would a queen suggest for peasants to eat cake? That does not seem to solve the problem of the lack of bread."

Raven rolled her eyes a little. "Mmm let's just say it was a joke in poor taste." As they walked into the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of Beast Boy slurping the last bits of his salad. "Speaking of jokes in poor taste…"

Beast Boy instantly shot his head up from the salad bowl. "Hey! I haven't told you one bad joke today!"

"You haven't told any me any jokes today. Keep it up." Starfire giggled at Beast Boy's expense, patted him on the head. Raven, needing a warm drink to soothe her throat, hovered over to the stove. Noticing that Cyborg had already heated boiling water, she grabbed the kettle and slowly poured herself a cup of herbal tea. _Earl Grey. A perfect choice for a warm winter night._ _A smooth initial sweetness followed by a light bitter aftertaste_.

"Oh, what a glorious feast you have prepared for us, friend Cyborg!" Starfire immediately slid next to the vast plethora of food displayed in the kitchen, her eyes sparkling with delight. "I do not know where to begin. Shall I devour the sweet yams of candy, or perhaps enjoy a leg of chicken roasted to perfection! Best of all, there's plenty of mustard dipping sauce for everyone!" The thought of mustard covering the entire dinner sickened everyone, and Cyborg was quite certain he heard Beast Boy hurl a little into his salad bowl.

While the other Titans prepared for dinner, there was one fearless leader who hadn't joined them. Robin was still in the workroom, usually reserved for brooding over villains and discovering their evil plans. Ever since they arrived back from Tokyo, the crime in Jump City was relatively low. The occasional setback of Cinderblock or the HIVE would arrive, only to be beaten back and thrown into jail. However, all of the Titans knew that trouble still remained at large…

Slade. Ever since his little scheme with assisting Trigon in capturing Raven, he had been kept unchecked. This was especially true when the Titans traveled around the world, trying to defeat the Brotherhood of Evil. Now that the organization had collapsed, Slade was their main target. He was never the type of criminal who struck first, let alone strike at all. He was a manipulator, moving his pawns in perfect position to make a sacrifice, orchestrating his plans in the shadows. Robin believed that one reason they could never get to Slade was that there was always someone by his side, corrupted by his poisonous words. For a man so evil, he could always find volunteers to fulfill his dirty work. Slade was always the thorn in Robin's side, the bane of his heroic career ever since he decided to enter Jump City. Out of the all the villains that the Titans faced, Slade was the only one who seemed to escape unscathed. Robin vividly remembered Slade blackmailing him, forcing him to be his apprentice, almost destroying his closest friends. However, what Robin feared the most was that he still drew a connection to Slade.

"_Whoever Slade is, you and he are... similar. He did not trust you... and you did not trust us."_

"_You know, just because we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to act like him."_

It was so long ago, and so much had changed. Yet, Slade's actions still baffled the Boy Wonder. Were they really so different? Was that why he couldn't destroy Slade? Maybe curiosity did get the best of him…

Tonight, though, was an entirely different agenda for Robin. He was indeed obsessing, brooding, planning revenge…on a certain green hero who loved to play pranks. Robin should have suspected that something was awry when the changeling woke up early this morning, an event rarer than a blue moon. What was even more surprising was that he found Beast Boy leaving the training room without having even broken a sweat. As Robin walked into the gym to lift weights, he noticed Beast Boy nervously laughing, trying to escape his curious stare.

"_Oh well," _he thought. "_I can't blame him if he's trying to better condition himself."_ Robin always started his workout regime with a few rounds with the punching bag, just to get himself warmed up. "_It would be a great assest to the team if he got stronger. He's already quite agile due to his animal abilities. It's kinda nice to actually see him take responsi-"._ Robin never got to finish that thought. He always started his first punch with a bang, just to test his might. Unfortunately, this punching bag was more along the lines….of a pudding bag. Chocolate pudding to be exact. Someone had replaced the real sand bag with a leather sack full of at least one hundred pounds of pudding, and a majority of it splattered over Robin.

"…..BEAST BOYYYYYYYY!"

It was one thing for a villain to get under Robin's skin with a diabolical scheme, but sometimes, he felt that pranks around the T-tower drove him towards madness. This time, though, he would taste sweet revenge. Robin looked down at his prankster blueprints, an almost maniacal smile glittering on his face.

"….then I lure Beast Boy onto the catapult with a tasty tofu sandwich, and WHAMO! Bye bye, Beast Boy. Enjoy your trip to Saskatchewan!" He began to cackle uncontrollably for a few seconds before realizing that it was a stupid suddenly grabbed his blueprints and discarded them into the nearby trash bin.

Outside Robin's work office, Cyborg had arrived to fetch Robin for dinner, only to hear his psychotic laughter fill the hallway. As he peered in, he noticed the masked leader admiring his handiwork, only to toss it aside a few seconds later. Cyborg, jaw dropped, slowly began to back away. "_Aww mannn. Robin's finally lost his cookies! This whole hero business finally pushed him off the edge!"_ Robin, sensing someone behind him, turned around and smiled.

"Hey Cyborg. Is dinner ready?"

Cyborg, momentarily stunned, quickly recovered. "Uhhh…yeah! We got roasted chicken, yams, crazy fri—I mean, curly. Curly fries!" Robin raised an eyebrow. "Definitely not crazy! Because…crazy would imply not tasty, and laughing, which is what I'm not saying at all….I mean, I am saying that it's tasty…I mean…...don't send me to Saskatchewan!" He ran away before Robin would come up with any response.

Back at the kitchen, Beast Boy cleaned up the remaining spinach in his salad bowl, still proudly beaming at his prankster handiwork earlier this morning. He was already jumping ahead towards his next brilliant plan.

"…_.and then I lure Robin onto the catapult with a tasty glazed ham, and WHAMO! Bye bye, Robin. Enjoy your trip to Alberta!_" Beast Boy couldn't help but hide his cheesy grin. Both Starfire and Raven eyed Beast Boy and his dazed look. Starfire leaned down, momentarily shoving her bottle of mustard aside.

"Beast Boy. You seem to have come down with the case of losing your cookies."

Raven just stared straight through his skull, as if she had X-ray vision. "I'm pretty sure there's just cookie dough in there." She knocked on his hollow head. "Still raw."

Suddenly, the alarm rang. All the Titans gathered in the center lounge to uncover the source of trouble. On the main configuration board, footage relayed via bank camera showed Dr. Light breaking into the 7th street district bank, adjacent to the waterfront and the pier. The footage was fuzzy at best, and eventually it faded to black. Apparently, the doctor was smart enough to cut security lines out before attempting a robbery.

"Titans, go!" Robin led the charge, running to the hangar, jumping onto his motorcycle and immediately riding out ahead. The others hopped into the T-car, and Cyborg was ready to go. "Well awww right! I'm ready to kick butt and eat tofu. And if I'm not mistaken, there is no tofu in sight!"

"Dude! Uncalled for!"

The titans considered Dr. Light a minor inconvenience more than anything else. While he would occasionally be a menace and obstruct the peace of Jump City, they considered him more a chore than an actual threat. Frankly, Beast Boy would have had a more difficult time cleaning his room than defeating the villain. However, Robin stressed to take all opponents seriously. It was essential to keep a professional image among the Teen Titans.

Cyborg grabbed his communicator and spoke "We have a lock on Dr. Light. I've already scanned the radial perimeter around the crime scene and the area seems evacuated. Law enforcement is arriving in approximately 10 minutes."

"Then I guess we have 10 minutes to stop him. No problem." With that, Robin plunged his foot on the accelerator and darted to the fight, the rest of the Titans trailing behind.

What appeared in front of the Titans would shock them all.

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><p>Being the first to arrive at the decimated bank, Robin skidded to a screeching halt on his cycle. "Robin here! I have a visual on Dr. Light. He's…..subdued." His eyes widened as he saw an unconscious doctor lying with his back. What surprised him, though, was the man sitting adjacent to the villain. He looked like a normal civilian, wearing a light blue V-neck and cargo short, with dirty blonde hair and almost crystal light-blue eyes. If Robin didn't believe that his eyes were playing tricks on him, I could have sworn that he just saw the man finishing a burger. Suddenly, the stranger looked directly at Robin and gave him a small grin.<p>

"Finally, backup. I was getting bored waiting for help."

Out of his utility belt, Robin could hear Starfire speak up through the communicator. "What do you mean, he is subdued?"

"I mean, someone already got here first and stopped him. See for yourselves when you get here."

It took another minute for the T-car to reach its destination, and shortly afterwards, the local police arrived to return Dr. Light back to prison. As the chief officer carried the handcuffed body into the metal prison van, Beast Boy quickly eyed the doctor's face and whispered "Out cold." The Titans watched the officer vehicle drive way, and then turned around to see their surprise hero.

Cyborg was the first to step up. "Well that was some great work back there! We didn't see what happened but it seems like you easily took care of business."

Starfire immediately jumped in front of the stranger. "Yes, we are most grateful for your assistance of protecting the city, Mister….umm…"

The man stepped up and took his hand out of his pocket for a shake. "Elements, the name is Elements." He gave the Titans a small grin.

Starfire suddenly grabbed Element's hand and squeezed it. "We are most pleased by your assistance!" She didn't know her own strength, and after a few seconds, Elements reeled back, yanking his hand away only to see it turn a beet shade of red. At times, Starfire still forgot to control her own strength.

Robin stepped forward and gave Elements a slight nod. "Yeah, it's always nice to have a bit of help."

"Glad to be of help. Honestly, I didn't think I would end up being face to face with the Teen Titans. All I know about you guys is from reports around the globe. The pleasure is all mine." His tone was full of admiration and a bit of awe.

Beast Boy slid in front of Elements and stared with him with sparkly eyes. "We're that popular?"

Elements bursted out laughing and responded, "Well, after saving the universe two or three times from utter destruction, you should expect people to recognize who you are. Plus it's not like your costumes are that subtle."

"Touche," Raven said quietly.

"Well, Elements, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Jump City? Taking Dr. Light down isn't easy, especially solo. How did you do it?" Robin said what was on all of the Titans' minds. While Elements looked friendly enough, they've had past troubles with trusting new heroes, and didn't want to take chances.

Elements knew they wanted to find out more about his past, his powers...and his agenda. He was never one to beat around the bush. "Okay. You'll get your answer." He closed his eyes. "Fight me."

This answer surprised the Titans and all of them, with the exception of Raven, widened their eyes. The empathy simply stared straight at Elements. Starfire confused, tilted her head "Fight you?" Are we not the status of friends?"

"Heh, well we certainly aren't enemies. But what better way to learn about my powers than to face off against them? Besides, you were supposed to take out Dr. Light, and I interfered, so to speak. The least I can do is repay you with a friendly spar. Or….do you think you're going to lose." With those words, Elements simply stuck out his tongue and smirked.

Beast Boy immediately stepped forward and took the bait. "We'll take on your challenge any-WHOAA!" Four hands branching from his teammates grabbed him and pulled him back for a Teen Titan huddle.

"Hold your horses, Beast Boy. We don't know anything about this guy, and he comes out of the blue and requests a fight with us. I don't know. It seems suspicious to me; it could be a trap." Robin looked at Beast Boy with an understanding stare. If this man really was a criminal, Robin would be the first person to step up to take him down…but they needed to be careful.

Raven quietly state,"I didn't sense any emotional stress from Elements. He seems confident in himself and his abilities. It would be a good idea not to take him lightly."

"Awww c'mon, dudes. The guy seems friendly enough." The other Titans each raised their eyebrows. "He took out a villain for us. And besides, if he really was a criminal, we'd have to kick his pasty blonde butt sooner or later. Why not now?" The rest of the team looked at other, partially stunned by Beast Boy's remarks. It actually made a bit of sense.

Cyborg grinned. "Well whaddaya know, there is a little somethin' up in that hollow head of yours!"

The Titans broke from their huddle and spread out into their respective positions, Robin and Cyborg in the front, Beast Boy awaiting on the side, Raven and Starfire providing defense support and cover-fire from the air. Cyborg placed his left arm over his right and began charging his plasma cannon while Beast Boy shifted into a wolf, moving into striking position. Starfire and Raven activated their respective energies, surrounding concentrated photons around their hands. Finally, Robin pulled out his bo-staff, spun it casually in his right hand, and then pointed the front end at Elements. "We accept."

Elements closed his eyes and pulled out his iPod. Placing his earbuds in, he spun to a random battle song. Contractor-Pandora Hearts.

"Don't hold back Titans."

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><p><strong>For anyone reading, does anyone know the references involving the pranks? If you do, then you had an awesome childhood! =P More updates soon!<strong>


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